The East Portrillo Mountains. (Pour-Tree-o)As soon someone can pry me loose from the mattress tomorrow morning and push me out the door I'll be heading for the LZ below the Torrey Paso Launch. Steve plans to hike up from the LZ at 9:00 am. Steve will be on 151.925 since cell phone coverage is poor.I'll have my 2meter radio along and will be able to access the ham repeaters and phone patch Mega Link for emergency calls. (KB0NDL)

Hello, Bill. I don't think that I can join you on the expedition tomorrow. Sorry! I hope that you get some good photos from it, so I can see what the site is like. Good luck, and give me a call when you get back. I'm looking forward to hearing about your adventures out there! Steve, have some great flying. -Robin

RobinHastings wrote:Hello, Bill. I don't think that I can join you on the expedition tomorrow. Sorry! I hope that you get some good photos from it, so I can see what the site is like. Good luck, and give me a call when you get back. I'm looking forward to hearing about your adventures out there! Steve, have some great flying. -Robin

RGSA/Hawks & SSA,I met Stephen at the LZ at mid range of the East Portrillos at 09:10 (ten minutes late.)Max showed up shortly there after.So tomorrow I'll start out at 07:50, (drive like mad), and make it to the LZ at 09:00 sharp.Stephen said it would be too light for HG today so I left mine at home and did the driving for the both of them.

All my pictures came out blurry so the one above is the least blurry of Max ready to launch.He launched at 10:39 went south and tagged the tower on the south end of the mountain range and headed back.Stephen launched at 10:58 but the wind was dying so Stephen didn't get above launch and had to work hard but landed at 11:12.Max couldn't make it back from the south tower and had to walk after landing at 11:07, to where I could pick him up with my vehicle and return to the LZ._________________________________________________________________________Another drive up as far as the road goes and the two hiked again to launch while I drove Max's Toyota down again.Max's second launch was at 12:49 in a weak cycle that had him pulling a low save out of the dirt. He took it to above launch altitude (???) then went to the north end of the range and started back but the wind quit again and he landed maybe 5 miles north at 13:20. Stephen's second launch was at 13:05 and lasted to 13:29. He had his GoPro running so it should end up on YouTube.Max bought us supper at Rudy' BBQ back in North El Paso near I-25 Exit 8.Max will sleep at the LZ and Stephen and I will meet him tomorrow morning at 9 SHARP!Clouds built through the day and finally rained on us while we were eating at Rudy's.I see Stephen uploaded a video of today's expedition:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCrUnyzjy7U

I'll do my second attempt to post about Saturday's, day 2, PG flying at the East Portrillo Mountains.Max camped up hill from the LZ Friday night and found that his smart phone worked.It's sketchy from the LZ with cell phones.Stephen and I converged on the LZ at 9:00 am and by 9:35 we were all at the top of the road which is about half way to the launch.

2) Half way up the road ends. Time to hike..JPG (22.92 KiB) Viewed 2573 times

I took the next picture before taking Max's Toyota back to the LZ. They started the long slog up to launch.

Steve and Max 11-12-2016.JPG (117.72 KiB) Viewed 2573 times

By 9:55 Stephen called, just as I arrived back in the LZ, to say they had just arrived at launch.Below Max was set up and then launched at 10:19.

Max ready to launch 11-12-16.JPG (16.18 KiB) Viewed 2573 times

Below is what the day looked like for lift.

7) Signs of lift. 11-12-16.JPG (18.88 KiB) Viewed 2573 times

Stephen launched ten minutes after Max at 10:29.Max called at 11:47 from two miles south of launch to say he was at 7,600'.As the wind switched SW both had to scratch to stay up and thermals were the only way to for a while to wait for the wind to return.By noon they were both high and decided to fly over the back of the mountain range and fly to Mt. Riley. They both made it then Max called to say he was going to try to fly up wind to the front of the Range again. (Come on Max -- in a PG -- are you kidding me?) But HE DID JUST THAT!Steve (after two hours and fifty one minutes.) augured down from way high (picture below) because he was froze and "Had to go."

Can not frame because it has arrows..JPG (26.67 KiB) Viewed 2573 times

So I held the paper towel roll out as a wind indicator for Steve to land at the SE base of Mt. Riley.

6) Where XC ended for Steve..JPG (25.88 KiB) Viewed 2573 times

That is Mt. Riley.JPG (23.09 KiB) Viewed 2573 times

Stephen and I loaded up and raced around the north end of the mountain range but Max already got a ride from a hunter that brought him back to the LZ. Max's air time this flight was three hours and seventeen seconds.